Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-01-14
HORRORS OF ST.LAZAKE.
what Lady Colin Campbeli's Imprison-
ment Would Have Meant.

1t is simply impus-ib Die, writes "A Paris
CORES oudent to the New York WOrjd, to
conceive the horror and disgust which
prevailed in society here, on its becoming
known that Lord Colin Campbell had at
tempted to have his wife imprisoned at
ST. LHZaIe during her last stay in Paris
Probably few people in the United States
realize the horror inspired by the mere
word st. LaZare. a detention in that
establishment, even for an hour, is sufli-
cient to indelibly brand any woman with
infamy for life. st. LaZare is the house
of correction for the women on town.
In Paris, rs IN every other European
capital except London, vice is publicly
tolerated by the government and subj ct
to certain kinds of legislation. 1t has its
special prison, which is that of St. Iazare,
and its special police, who are known by
The name of "agents de mpurs" Every
woman on town" and heaven only knows
how numerous they are, is forced 10 take
ont "A special license something like that
of Il hack driver, which is called a "livret.
| The latter has to be COuuterSigntd once "A
week by the police surgeon of the district
| Any woman who is caught plying her I'M
happy trade without ailivret or one which
has not been duly signed during the eight
! previous days, may be arrested on the
| public street, either by day or by night.
without any special warrant being needed
for the purpose. The police are even au-
thorlZed to examine tenement houses,
lodging houses and the Inferior class of
hotels in order to discover if the lady in
mates are all provided with their duly
signed livrets. The delinquents, after
spending the night in the cells, are taken
off early the.neXt morning, in the "panel
Il salade,' as the police van Is termed to
the st. Lazare prison, in order to spend
there the three to six months to which
they have been condemned Immediately
on their arrest by the ''commissAlre dc
police" on day or night duty at the police
station to which they were first conveyed
when arrested.
Every now and again "ralIies,' or kinds
OF hunts, are organized 10y the police
Frequently of an evening, sitting after
dinner in front of the Cafe Richie, OF. the
boulevard dies ltaliens, | have Watchet
the women of the town parading mp and
down the brilliantly lighted streets il
search OF human prey. On the whole
they are much better behaved than the
London women of the same class, whose
vice is rendered additionally revolving by
their drunkenness and intolerable vulgar
lty In the streets. Suddenly toward II
O'Clock, just as the people are coming ont
of the theatres, the scene changes
Screams, shouts and cries are heard anC
the whole of the band, who, "A minute ago
were strutting slowly up and down like
peacocks displaying their plumage, rusf
by, IN wild flight. reminding one OF
animals escaping from prairie fire. Be
hind them are the pursuers. A more IL
noble looking lot of men it is impossible
to conceive. No man, however poor, wht
has any atom of self-respect left, will evel
accept the Office of agent de mnurs,
and consequently their ranks are recruit
ed exclusively from the criminal classes
and from the very vileSt of the vile Re
CriVng maximum weekly pay OF -. they
naturally levy black mail on the uutortu
nate girls to Il terrible eXcent. Their con
duct toward.the latter is simply indescrb
able in these hunts. They strike the poo
creatures with their heavy fists and clutct
hold of them by their hair, treating then
as if they had no vestige of humanity re
naming. No one lnterferes, for the no
tion of passing the night IN a police Gel
and being arragned the next morning
before the magistrate for preventing thu
police from doing their duty to any par
ticular unfortunate is not very agreeable
may add that, in addition to tn,
women of the class above described wive'
convicted of infidelity are, on the demand
of the husband, imprisoned for terms
ranging from three To twelve manths. /
Is, however, only far to add that onl!
the lower classes ever cause their wives I,
be submitted to this indignity, and tina
| have never heard of case where an,
man of society or position has caused hi
wife to be condemned To such an intamy
That Lord Colin should have for one me
ment thought of causing the grand oil
Stuart descended Argyll family TO hgur
in the annals of the St. l.aZare prison /
simply incredible.